John Weiss and the Spring Fleam

From antiquity until the end of the nineteenth century, it was thought that the health of animals was improved by the letting of blood. The fleam and bloodstick were in use by the sixteenth century. The bloodstick was used to strike the back of the fleam and force it in into the vein. John Weiss started in business in the 1780s in London and began to develop a more advanced type of fleam with a double spring action, to enter the vein and then withdraw the blade. The text of a leaflet outlining the patent is given and numerous illustrations of fleams.

D W Wright

History of Veterinary Dentistry

A history of veterinary dentistry from ancient times. Lampas was treated with an unnecessary early technique removing epithelium from over erupting teeth. Domestication of horse came with changes to their diet. This led to abnormal teeth shapes and the development of hooks and points, which need to be removed. The first comprehensive description of veterinary dentistry is by Louis Merrillat, published in 1905. Techniques described include floating and trephining to remove horses’ teeth. Sir Frank Colyer carried out a large survey of dental abnormalities from 30,000 skulls from both animals and man.

Colin E Harvey

William Tyson Kendall 1851-1936

William Tyson Kendall was born in Cumbria in 1851 and qualified form the ‘Dick‘ Vet College in Edinburgh in 1873. He arrived in Australia in 1880 and decide to settle in Melbourne, where he opened a veterinary practice. At that time there were only 12 qualified vets in whole of Australia. Kendall led a campaign for a veterinary surgeons act to recognise and give a legal status to the profession, which was achieved in 1887. Kendall and Graham Mitchell had the foresight and courage to campaign successfully for the establishment of a veterinary college in Melbourne, which opened in 1888. Kendall and Michell produced the ‘Australian Veterinary Journal’ and later the ‘Australian Veterinary and Livestock Journal’. Kendall had many other interests. He died in 1936.

Jessica Taylor

A History of Veterinary Education in Quebec

The first veterinary surgeons to come to Canada were British. James Mason arrived in Montreal in 1843; John Maybell and J Turner arrived in 1844. There was an unsuccessful attempt to open a veterinary college in 1851, but by 1854 these three vets had left Montréal. A vet college had been established in Ontario in 1862. By 1886, there were three French speaking veterinary colleges in Montréal. By 1895, there was only one school left, which became part of McGill University, but closed in 1902 due to lack of money and students. There were many further changes to the veterinary schools and their locations over the next few decades. The final location was at St-Hyacinthe, where a new building was constructed in 1953 and a farm animal hospital in 1963. This school became part of the L’Université de Montréal in 1969.

Michel Pepin